Legal Setting: Alternative Careers

Web Resources

• NALP: Alternative Careers Websites of Interest includes links to websites relevant for a) general job search, b) business, c) court administration, d) government, e) healthcare, f) legal education and law-related careers, g) media
• Compliance—Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics has a job board with compliance positions across the country.  Corporations' compliance departments often hire recent law school graduates.
• Human Resources— humanresourcesjobs.com includes job postings for human resource departments in corporations. In recent years, human resource departments have looked for JDs.
• Publishing/Journalism
  • Journalism Jobs—lists for jobs in journalism
  • This websitelists postings and information for careers in Legal Journalism and Publishing
  • Thompson Reuters lists jobs in legal publishing and editing
• Academic Administration
  • NALP Job Postings—postings for law firm recruiters, attorney development, and career services
  • Washington Area Legal Recruitment Administrators Association--postings for law firm recruiters, professional development professionals, and career services professionals for firms and schools in the DC area.
  • Chronicle of Higher Education—postings for undergraduate faculty, college and law school administrative jobs, and executive jobs
  • HigherEd Jobs--postings for faculty, college and law school administrative jobs, and executive jobs.
  • NALP's Guide on "Lawyer to Administrator" shares various perspectives on the transition into law school administration, including admissions, student affairs, development, and career services.
• Center for Association Leadership—job board for positions in consulting, law, recruiting, technology, and other positions in associations
• National Association of College and University Attorneys posts positions, largely in compliance and risk management, but also in university counsel positions.
• Law Enforcement Careers-tips and information on jobs in law enforcement
• Politico posts policy positions and government relations
• Becoming a Law Professor
• • Professors Bond, Murchison, and Shaughnessy led a program on becoming a law professor. The videotaped presentation can be found HERE (February 2011; current student access ONLY). 
  • The Tax Professor Blog contains a list of teaching fellowships for aspiring law professors.  These two-year fellowships are opportunities to transition into the legal academy by providing time to develop scholarship.
  • The Association of American Law Schools provides resources for those looking to enter the teaching market.
  • Former W&L Professor Brad Wendel wrote an article on how to get a job in law teaching.
  • A professor at Marquette University Law School has gathered resources on careers in law teaching from around the web.
  • An article from Columbia Law School tells you “Almost Everything You Need to Know about Law Teaching.” 

OCP Library Resources

Note: If you have trouble finding a resource in OCP's library ask us to help you find it; it could be checked out.

• All You Need to Know About the Music Business, Donal Passma (5th Ed., 2003)
  • Guide to legal and financial aspects of the media world
• Careers in International Affairs, Maria Pinto Carland & Lisa Gihring, editors (7th ed.)
  • Includes discussion of careers in consulting, international development, business, lobbying, and media.
• The Fast Track: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Management Consulting, Investment Banking & Securities Trading,Mariam Nafig (1999)
  • Job descriptions; interviews with those in business; tips on creating successful applications; profiles of the top 40 firms
• Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams,Kimm Alayne Walton (2008)
  • Chapter on alternative careers.
• JD Preferred: Legal Career Alternatives, Federal Reports Inc., (2000)
  • Information about careers in academic administration, alternative dispute resolution, ethics, international business, risk management, media, and technology transit
• Judgment Reversed: Alternative Careers for Lawyers, Jeffrey Strausser (1997)
• Law and Legal Information Directory
  • List of legal publications, consultants, associations, and various state agencies
• Lawyers Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market, Richard Hermann (2009)
  • Advice on using your law degree outside of the mainstream, in law-related careers. Includes a discussion of regulatory compliance, litigation management, governmental affairs, alternative dispute resolution, risk management, and intellectual asset management.
• Running From the Law, Deborah Arron (3d ed., 2004)
• Vault Career Guide to Consulting(2000)
  • Profiles of the major consulting firms and information on a consulting career
• Vault Career Guide to Accounting
• What Can You Do With A Law Degree, Deborah Arron
  • Ideas about careers for JDs outside of the practice of law
• Yellow Book Leadership Directoriesinclude the name and contact information of the leadership of various organizations. Note: if the copy in OCP's library is outdated, check the Law Library as they usually have the most up-to-date copy.
  • Nonprofit Yellow Book(Summer 2001)
  • News Media Yellow Book(Winter 2002)
  • Associations Yellow Book(Summer 2001)
  • Governmental Affairs Yellow Book (Summer 2001)